START triage criteria for adults?

• A. Heart rate, blood pressure, and temperature
• B. Respirations, perfusion, and mental status
• C. Color, age, and mobility
• D. Pain level, appearance, and pulse oximetry

Answer: (B)

The question tests START triage, which is used in mass-casualty situations to sort many patients quickly. The three quick checks START relies on are respirations, perfusion, and mental status. First, you assess whether the patient is breathing after briefly opening the airway. If they are not, you reposition the airway and, if still not breathing, the patient is tagged as deceased. If they are breathing, you count respirations for 30 seconds; a rate over 30 per minute indicates immediate priority, while 30 or fewer moves you to the next check. Next, you evaluate perfusion by looking for a pulse (or checking capillary refill). If there is no pulse or capillary refill is prolonged (indicating poor perfusion), the patient is tagged as immediate. If perfusion is adequate, you assess mental status by asking the patient to follow simple commands. If they can follow commands, they are tagged as yellow (delayed); if they cannot, they are tagged as red (immediate). This sequence—respirations, perfusion, mental status—allows rapid, objective categorization of large numbers of patients with minimal equipment. The other options rely on vital signs like heart rate, blood pressure, or subjective measures such as pain, which are not the rapid criteria used in START triage.